If your sales process relies on your team remembering what to do next, it's already broken.
One of the biggest mistakes we see businesses make with Pipedrive is using it purely as a place to log deals and notes, while still relying on people to remember follow-ups, next steps, and tasks.
That approach works for a while, but eventually good opportunities fall through the cracks.
This is where Pipedrive automations become incredibly powerful.
Instead of relying on memory, you can turn your CRM into a system that automatically guides your sales process, reminding your team what to do next and even sending emails or creating activities automatically.
In this guide, we'll walk through how Pipedrive automations work and how to build your first one step-by-step.
Why Pipedrive Automations Matter
Many teams use Pipedrive simply to track deals, but the real power comes from automating your process.
For example, when a proposal is sent to a client, what should happen next?
Often the salesperson moves on to the next opportunity and forgets to follow up.
Automations solve this problem by turning your best practices into a repeatable process.
Instead of remembering to schedule follow-ups manually, Pipedrive can automatically:
- Create follow-up activities
- Send automated emails
- Update deal fields
- Notify your team
- Trigger workflows based on deal stages
In short, your CRM starts telling your team what to do next.
Where to Find Automations in Pipedrive
To create your first automation, go to:
Tools and Apps → Automations
This area is where you can:
- Create new automations
- Manage existing ones
- View automation history
- Duplicate workflows for different pipelines
If you don't see this feature, you may need to upgrade to a plan that includes automations.
Understanding Automation Triggers
Every automation starts with a trigger, which tells Pipedrive when the automation should run.
There are two main types.
Event-Based Triggers
These occur when something changes in your CRM, such as:
- A deal being created
- A deal being updated
- A person being added
- A deal moving to a new stage
For example, when a deal moves to the Proposal Sent stage, an automation could automatically create follow-up tasks.
Date-Based Triggers
These automations run based on a date field.
Examples include:
- Renewal dates
- Booking dates
- Contract expiry dates
- Custom date fields
For example, you could trigger an automation one day before a booking date to remind your team to prepare for a meeting.
Building Your First Pipedrive Automation
A great first automation is one that ensures follow-ups happen automatically after sending a proposal.
Here's the basic logic:
Trigger:
Deal updated
Condition:
Deal stage changed to Proposal Sent
Action:
Create follow-up activities
For example:
- Create a follow-up task one day after sending the proposal
- Create another follow-up seven days later
This ensures the salesperson doesn't forget to check in with the prospect.
Adding Conditions to Automations
Conditions allow you to control when an automation should actually run.
For example, you might want an automation to run only when:
- The deal stage changes to Proposal Sent
- The deal type is Consulting
This prevents the automation from running in situations where it isn't relevant.
You can combine conditions using:
- AND logic, meaning both conditions must be true
- OR logic, meaning either condition can trigger the automation
This allows you to build much more precise workflows.
Using If/Else Logic in Automations
Pipedrive also allows you to add branching logic using if/else conditions.
This means your automation can behave differently depending on deal data.
For example:
- If the deal label is Hot, create a follow-up activity for tomorrow
- If the label is Warm, create a follow-up activity in three days
- If the label is Cold, send an automated email instead
This type of logic helps your team prioritise their time and focus on the best opportunities.
Automating Emails in Pipedrive
Pipedrive automations can also send emails automatically using your connected email account.
For example, you could:
- Delay the automation for one week
- Send a follow-up email using an email template
- Track email opens and link clicks
This is particularly useful for nurturing lower-priority deals without requiring manual follow-up.
Testing Your Automations
Before relying on any automation, it’s important to test it properly.
Run a few test deals through your pipeline and check that:
- Activities are created correctly
- Emails are sent as expected
- Conditions behave properly
Pipedrive also provides an automation history log, where you can see:
- When the automation ran
- Which path it followed
- Whether any errors occurred
This makes troubleshooting much easier.
Real Examples of Pipedrive Automations
Here are a few examples of automations we use internally.
No-show follow-up email
If a deal is marked as lost due to no-show, an automated email is sent asking the prospect how they would like to proceed.
Proposal presentation preparation
When a proposal presentation activity is created, an automation adds a note containing a link to our sales script, ensuring the team is prepared for the call.
Customer onboarding after a deal is won
When a deal is marked as won, an automation can:
- Update organisation labels
- Create onboarding activities
- Update custom fields
- Trigger internal processes
This ensures new customers are handled consistently every time.
When to Use Zapier or Make Instead
Pipedrive automations are powerful, but sometimes you may need more advanced workflows.
For example:
- Connecting tools that don’t integrate directly with Pipedrive
- Building more complex automation logic
- Creating AI-powered workflows
In these cases, tools like Zapier or Make can extend what’s possible.
Final Thoughts
If you're only using Pipedrive to track deals, you're missing one of the most powerful features in the platform.
Automations allow you to turn your CRM into a system that enforces your sales process, reduces mistakes, and ensures every opportunity is followed up properly.
Start with a simple workflow, such as automatically creating follow-up activities after sending a proposal.
Once you see how effective it is, you can start expanding your automations across the entire sales process.
If you'd like help setting up Pipedrive properly, book an introductory call with our team and we'll help you design a system that actually works.